EPA/RICK GIASETim Tebow and the Broncos will come into New England as double-digit underdogs to the Patriots.

AFC

DENVER BRONCOS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Saturday, 8 p.m., Ch. 2

The Broncos will win …

Because no one will think they can, and some (still) might think they don’t belong here. And yet, the Broncos aren’t done with this season. That was the case last night when they took control early against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then Tim Tebow (316 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 125.6 passer rating) happened. That was against a Steelers defense that was the best in the league, supposedly. Denver will line up next against one of the league’s worst defenses. Could it happen again?

The Patriots will win …

Because Tom Brady isn’t operating on one good leg, and we’ll still choose to believe that Bill Belichick will add a wrinkle to his beleaguered defense — something that Tebow might not have ever seen before. Brady hasn’t gotten the headlines that Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have gotten this season, but he’s been his usually brilliant self (5,235 yards, 39 touchdowns, 12 interceptions). Plus, he took charge of the last meeting between these two after the Broncos sprinted to a 16-7 lead. The Patriots scored 34 of the next 41 points.

HOUSTON TEXANS at BALTIMORE RAVENS
Sunday, 1 p.m., Ch. 2

The Texans will win …

Only if RB Arian Foster can run like he did against the Bengals — he had 153 yards and two touchdowns in the first playoff victory in Texans postseason franchise history — and not the way he did the last time he was in Baltimore (49 yards and no touchdowns on 15 carries). That afternoon, the Ravens forced the Texans to put the game in their quarterback’s hands, and Matt Schaub played admirably. This time around, that would mean the load falls to T.J. Yates — and rookie quarterbacks never fare particularly well against the Ravens.

The Ravens will win …
Because they’re the better team, and that might be in every area. Yes, we just mentioned Arian Foster, but the case can easily be made that the Ravens’ Ray Rice (he of the career-high 1,364 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns this season) is every bit the ball carrier that Foster is. And for all the gushing about the turnaround this season by a Texans defense that was ranked 30th last year and is second this year, it isn’t often that the Ravens — especially at home — aren’t the best defense on the field. Just ask all eight of their opponents this season who have visited M&T Bank Stadium. All eight have lost.

Because if there’s any venue in these playoffs away from the Superdome that will actually suit the Saints, it’s Candlestick Park in the afternoon. Drew Brees has been held to fewer than 322 yards just three times this season; and before you look, none of those instances came outdoors. The one game you can really point to as a struggle for Brees and the Saints came on a sloppy track at Tampa early in the year. So if it’s wet, all bets are off. But, if it’s a perfectly pleasant California midday outing — the 10-day forecast on weather.com includes a lot of sun and temperatures reaching the 60s — Brees and his host of receivers will have another field day.

The 49ers will win …

Because, like the most recent incarnation of the Giants defense, they are one of the few teams that can actually slow down the quicker-paced, pass-happy teams in the NFL. We’ll overlook for a second the fact that the 49ers defense was good, but not great down the stretch. Of course, San Francisco proved its point with a 20-3 pounding of the Steelers and didn’t have to flex its muscles so much against the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams. And with Frank Gore carrying the load — he has had more than the 1,211 yards and eight rushing touchdowns he posted this season only once before — they can play keepaway from the Saints.